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Weekly anb09268.txt #8

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 26-09-2002      PART #8/8
* Soudan. Bombardements dans le sud - Le lundi 23 septembre, les rebelles du Sud-Soudan ont accusé le gouvernement de Khartoum d'avoir tué 26 villageois et blessé des dizaines d'autres lors de bombardements de villages au cours du week-end. Des avions Antonov et Mig-29 et un hélicoptère auraient bombardé les régions de l'Equateur occidental, du Nil supérieur central et du Nord-Bahr el Ghazal, selon un communiqué de la SPLA. Des pourparlers pour un cessez-le-feu, qui se tenaient à Machakos, avaient été suspendus le 2 septembre. Depuis, les rebelles accusent Khartoum de multiplier les attaques contre le Sud. (Le Monde, France, 25 septembre 2002)
* Soudan. Programme de déminage - Le gouvernement de Khartoum et les rebelles de la SPLA ont signé une entente avec les Nations unies pour le déminage d'une partie du territoire soudanais. Bien que les négociations entre les deux parties soient au point mort, une stratégie commune a été adoptée pour le déminage afin de pouvoir intervenir plus efficacement sur le plan humanitaire. L'accord signé à Genève prévoit l'ouverture d'un bureau onusien à Khartoum et à Rumbek. La rébellion et le gouvernement s'accusent mutuellement à propos de l'usage des mines. (Misna, Italie, 26 septembre 2002)
* Swaziland. The country's food crisis - Swaziland's National Disaster Relief Task Force is confident that it can overcome the challenge of the country's food crisis, and help feed the 270,000 Swazis that will be in need of aid by early next year. "In a national disaster like this, the worst of its kind that Swaziland has ever faced, it is encouraging to note that everything is under control. The new numbers were a surprise, but we can handle the task. We are keeping our heads, and we are coping," Ben Nsibandze, the head of the disaster relief task force, said. He said some 144,000 people were affected by food shortfalls when this year's maize crop, the national staple food, was harvested in April. From now until November, at least 153,000 Swazis will go hungry unless they get relief food. According to the latest estimates, between January to March 2003, the figure is expected to peak at 270,000 -- an increase of 40,000 on earlier forecasts. (IRIN, Kenya, 23 September 2002)
* Swaziland. King chooses tenth wife - Swazi monarch King Mswati III plans to marry once again, bringing the total number of his official wives to 10. A private traditional ceremony will be held at the royal village with the bride's family. The 34-year-old king chose high school student Nolichwa Ayanda Ntenteza, 18, as his new bride two months after marrying wives number eight and nine. King Mswati, Africa's last absolute monarch, can choose a new wife every year from among thousands of virgins who parade at annual reed dance ceremonies. Official biographers say Mswati's father, King Sobhuza, had more than 125 wives during his reign of 61 years, which ended when he died in 1982. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 23 September 2002)
* Tchad. Mort de Togoïmi - Youssouf Togoïmi, président du Mouvement pour la démocratie et la justice au Tchad (MDJT) et principal chef rebelle du pays, est mort d'une embolie cérébrale, le 24 septembre, à l'hôpital de Tripoli. Le porte-parole du gouvernement tchadien a réagi en déclarant que "Togoïmi était le seul obstacle à la paix" au Tchad. Le vice-président du MDJT, Adoum Maurice el Bongo, a appelé à une reprise rapide des négociations de paix avec N'Djamena. Togoïmi avait été blessé fin août au Tibesti (extrême nord du Tchad) par l'explosion d'une mine et hospitalisé en Libye. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 25 septembre 2002)
* Togo. Législatives - appel au consensus - L'opposition togolaise vient d'appeler les populations à se mobiliser contre la tenue des élections législatives prévues pour le 27 octobre prochain. Selon l'Union des forces de changement (UFC, principal parti d'opposition), le décret de convocation du corps électoral est anticonstitutionnel et ces élections ne sont pas celles convenues par l'accord-cadre de Lomé (juillet 1999). - Par ailleurs, l'Eglise évangélique presbytérienne du Togo a exprimé ses craintes à propos de ces élections. Elle déplore l'impossible consensus pour une paisible alternance politique et la constante dégradation des valeurs éthiques et morales dans le pays. Pour le Comité synodal qui a signé la déclaration, "la sortie de la crise passe par l'organisation d'élections démocratiques précédées par l'établissement d'un consensus politique qui prend en compte toutes les sensibilités qui s'expriment dans la nation". (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 25 septembre 2002)
* Tunisie. Enquête sur 14 clandestins noyés - Le mardi 24 septembre, le président Ben Ali a ordonné la création d'une commission d'enquête après la mort, dimanche, de 14 jeunes Tunisiens, noyés au large de la Sicile lors d'une tentative d'immigration clandestine vers l'Italie. Plusieurs autres sont encore portés disparus. La commission aura pour tâche de "recueillir les éléments et les données concernant cette affaire, afin de délimiter les responsabilités". Selon le journal Le Temps, le passeur, un Tunisien de 27 ans, a été arrêté. Il aurait obligé ses passagers, une cinquantaine au total, à se jeter dans la mer agitée, à quelque 300 mètres de la plage. (AP, 24 septembre 2002)
* Uganda. LRA atrocities - 19 September: The Government says rebels have attacked a village in the north of the country, killing at least 14 people. A local official said the rebels, belonging to the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), attacked Pece Acoyo village, 360 kilometres north of Kampala, before dawn. They used hoes and axes to hack the villagers to death, he said. In a separate incident, army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza said that a rebel unit killed five census workers in nearby Labora on the evening of 17 September. The workers were returning home after completing their work, he said. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 19 September 2002)
* Zambia. Mwanawasa senses plot - 22 September: President Levy Mwanawasa has accused his predecessor -- and former political mentor -- of trying to have last year's elections declared void. Mr Mwanawasa said he had been told that ex-president Frederick Chiluba wanted to "mislead" the Supreme Court with alleged evidence of vote-rigging. He sent a letter to Mr Chiluba accusing him of trying to topple him and "pervert justice". Mr Chiluba -- who nominated Mr Mwanawasa as his successor -- denied the accusations and would fight to clear his name, his aides said. President Mwanawasa claimed he had received reports from an "impeccable source" that Mr Chiluba met opposition leader Anderson Mazoka to discuss how to use the evidence to have the presidential poll nullified. Mr Mazoka has always claimed that December's election -- in which he received 27% of the vote compared with 29% for Mr Mwanawasa -- was rigged. Together with other opposition leaders, he made an application to the Supreme Court in January for the vote to be declared void. Mr Mwanawasa's letter -- which was also addressed to Mr Mazoka and other presidential challengers -- said: "It is important that all who are involved in the presidential election petition should work towards ensuring that the court is not misled into making a wrong decision all prompted by personal interests." The President released the letter to the media because "it is important that the public should know how our justice is being perverted". (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 22 September 2002)
* Zambie. Pillage de maïs OGM - Les habitants d'un village du sud de la Zambie, particulièrement affecté par la famine, ont pillé des sacs de maïs génétiquement modifié stockés par le gouvernement. Les autorités avaient refusé ce type d'aide alimentaire que des pays étrangers avaient envoyé pour lutter contre la famine. (La Croix, France, 24 septembre 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Inflation skyrockets - Zimbabwe's annual rate of inflation leapt to a record high last month as the country's economic situation continued to deteriorate. The annual rate of inflation rose to 135.1% in August from 123.5% in July, according to the latest figures from Zimbabwe's Central Statistical Office. The surge in inflation reflects high levels of debt-fuelled government spending as economic output falters due to a combination of drought and political unrest. The relentless increase in consumer prices is expected to inflict further economic hardship on a population already burdened with an unemployment rate estimated at 60%. "All the conduct of the government at the moment is inflationary. They are borrowing enormous quantities of money at very low interest rates which they themselves set," said economic consultant John Robertson. Government price controls on basic commodities aimed at reining in inflation have created a thriving black market where bags of grain change hands for up to three times the official price. Zimbabwe's economic crisis has been exacerbated by the government's policy of seizing white-owned farms, a programme which has disrupted agricultural output. About 6.5 million Zimbabweans -- half the country's population -- are thought likely to need emergency food aid this year. (BBC News, UK, 18 September 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Mugabe snubs Commonwealth talks - 22 September: Zimbabwe's President, Robert Mugabe, has decided to boycott talks about his country's suspension from the Commonwealth, apparently because he objected to the tone of his invitation. Mr Mugabe had, until the last minute, been expected to attend tomorrow's meeting in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to review Zimbabwe's response to its exclusion from the organisation. But in a phone call to the Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr Mugabe says he objects to the invitation letter from Australian Prime Minister John Howard. "Mugabe says the invitation gives the impression that he is going to be court-martialled in Abuja," a Nigerian official says. 23 September: The Commonwealth "troika" set up to address Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis, today admits it is split on whether to take tougher action against President Robert Mugabe's government. Nigeria and South Africa block demands by Australia to suspend Zimbabwe fully from the Commonwealth over the behaviour of Mr Mugabe's government since contested presidential elections earlier this year. Australia's Prime Minister John Howard says he is in favour of the full expulsion of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth. The three members say they are disappointed by Mr Mugabe's refusal to attend the meeting and by the failure of efforts to arrange talks between the president and Don McKinnon, Commonwealth secretary-general. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 23 September 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Le Commonwealth reste divisé - Le 23 septembre, réunie à Abuja (Nigeria), la troïka du Commonwealth, composée du Premier ministre australien, John Howard, et des présidents sud-africain et nigérian, Thabo Mbeki et Olusegun Obasanjo, n'a pu s'entendre sur de nouvelles sanctions à l'égard du régime de Robert Mugabe. L'Australie plaidait pour l'exclusion immédiate du Zimbabwe. (Libération, France, 24 septembre 2002)
* Zimbabwe. MDC plans open defiance - 25 September: Zimbabwe's main opposition party is to defy security laws and hold rallies and meetings without police clearance, its leader Morgan Tsvangirai has announced. The proposed action -- ignoring strict public order and security laws introduced before March's controversial presidential elections -- will open the way for the arrest of members of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). But Mr Tsvangirai said action had to be taken against what he called the "illegal regime" of President Robert Mugabe, the man who beat him to lead Zimbabwe. The MDC also announced it was starting a court challenge to stop local elections set for this weekend, saying hundreds of its candidates were being prevented from standing in the polls. Mr Tsvangirai stopped short of calling for the sort of strikes and mass action against the government that he used in 1998 as Zimbabwe's main labour leader. But he said: "If anyone thinks we are not doing enough, just wait." (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 25 September 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Vendetta contre les juges - Le rapporteur spécial des Nations unies sur l'indépendance des juges et avocats, Dat'o Param Cumaraswamy, a condamné les nombreuses atteintes à l'Etat de droit perpétrées au Zimbabwe. Il a particulièrement cité le cas de l'ancien juge de la Haute Cour à la retraite, Fergus Blackie, qui a récemment été arrêté, emprisonné et inculpé. Selon lui, il s'agit d'un acte de vendetta menée par le gouvernement pour venger la condamnation par ce juge du ministre de la Justice, Patrick Chinamasa, une condamnation qui avait été annulée par la Cour suprême. Outre cette affaire, le responsable onusien a également fait part de son indignation à la suite du récent refus du gouvernement de permettre à l'opposition d'accéder aux listes électorales, dans une affaire concernant un recours pour dénoncer la légalité de l'élection présidentielle du mois de mars. Par ailleurs, le président Mugabe a menacé récemment d'emprisonner David Coltart, porte-parole de l'opposition. Le rapporteur spécial a exhorté la communauté internationale à continuer à exercer des pressions sur le gouvernement afin de veiller au respect de ses obligations. (PANA, Sénégal, 25 septembre 2002) 


Weekly anb0926.txt - Part #8/8 - THE END


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Un homme meurt chaque fois que l'un d'entre nous se tait devant la tyrannie (W. Soyinka, Prix Nobel litterature) 
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Everytime somebody keep silent when faced with tyranny, someone else dies (Wole Syinka, Nobel Prize for Literature) * 
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